Branch Out Your Knowledge: 11 Unbe-leaf-able Fun Facts About Arbor Day

1. Johnny Appleseed Goes Corporate

When Johnny Appleseed went corporate and leveled up his tree-planting game: Arbor Day was born in Nebraska, proposed by J. Sterling Morton at a State Board of Agriculture meeting on January 4, 1872, and later celebrated on April 10 of that same year with an impressive feat of over a million trees being planted in a single day.
Source => nfs.unl.edu

2. Money Does Grow on Trees

Whoever said money doesn't grow on trees clearly hasn't heard of the Arbor Day Foundation: Operating since 1972, this tree-loving nonprofit has planted over 500 million trees across 50 countries, with plans to plant another 500 million by 2027, all in the name of environmental and community well-being.
Source => arborday.org

Did you know there's a "Mars Day!" celebrated every July 24th at the National Air and Space Museum? Get ready to explore NASA's exciting missions and mingle with experts! 🚀🔴

=> Fun Facts about Earth-Day

3. Global Tree-Planting Extravaganza

From a calendar's perspective, Arbor Day is the ultimate tree-hugger's globe-hopping extravaganza: In various countries worldwide, the event has its unique dates, all tailored to each nation's tree-planting seasons or significant celebrations. Australia sings "tree cheers" in June during Arbor Week, and China honors Dr. Sun Yat-sen on March 12, making Arbor Day a tree-mendously diverse and global party.
Source => arborday.org

4. Online Tree Dating

Ever tried online dating for trees? Well, Arbor Day celebrations have got you covered: Attendees or volunteers can purchase bulk tree seedlings in units of 50, choosing from desirable-options like hazelnut, blue spruce, live oak, red maple, and tuliptree to mingle together and help reforestation efforts flourish.
Source => arborday.org

5. Tree-Loving Journalist Saves the Day

Before Groot had its roots and Treebeard shook its leaves, there was a fearless tree-loving journalist leading the reforestation charge: Julius Sterling Morton kick-started the first modern Arbor Day in the United States back on April 10, 1872 in Nebraska. Thanks to his green thumb and passion for our leafy friends, he and his wife managed to rally folks to plant a whopping one million trees that day. The success of their tree-mendous feat branched out, creating Arbor Day as a nation-wide holiday and rooting it across the globe in various countries, each with their own uniquely optimal tree-planting dates.
Source => cities4forests.com

6. Plant Trees for Birds

Who said planting trees was for the birds? Well, it actually is: Native trees in your yard can help support bird populations by providing essential habitat and food sources. The Arbor Day Foundation has teamed up with organizations like Wild Birds Unlimited to plant thousands of trees across North America, specifically targeting crucial habitat areas for migrating birds like the Rose-breasted Grosbeak and Pine Siskin. Be a songbird superhero and do your bit by planting a native tree.
Source => wbu.com

7. Million-Dollar Trees

Whoever said money doesn't grow on trees clearly wasn't speaking to the one million leafy beauties planted in Nebraska on the very first Arbor Day: Established by J. Sterling Morton in 1872, Arbor Day quickly became a nationwide movement celebrated on the last Friday of April, encouraging people to simultaneously flex their green thumbs and help the environment one sapling at a time.
Source => nfs.unl.edu

8. Barking Up the Wrong Tree

Talk about barking up the wrong tree: J. Sterling Morton, the founder of Arbor Day, was initially pro-slavery in Nebraska territory before the Civil War, but later championed natural rights and fought against mob violence targeting African Americans, expressing the ever-evolving nature of his beliefs.
Source => history.nebraska.gov

9. Universities Branch Out

Talk about branching out in higher education! Universities these days are not just about books, beards, and dissertations, but also take arboriculture to new heights: To earn the prestigious title of a Tree Campus Higher Education institution, colleges must establish a Campus Tree Advisory Committee composed of students, faculty, facility management, and community members. They work together to devise tree-mendous plans for campus-wide tree care, impart leafy knowledge upon the campus community, and foster strong roots with their neighbors.
Source => arborday.org

10. Salt & Trees: A Perfect Combo

Who says salt and trees don't mix? Joy Morton certainly didn't think so, as he spread his love for both the sodium-based seasoning and leafy wonders equally, conducting a beautiful symphony of canal crusading in the process: The founder of Morton Salt and the Morton Arboretum, Joy played a key role in advocating for and developing inland waterway transportation, greatly contributing to the Illinois and Michigan Canal as well as the Hennepin Canal well before World War I entered the scene.
Source => en.wikipedia.org

11. Arbor Day: Tree-lebration Time!

Calling all tree-hugging, leaf-loving, oxygen-obsessed garden warriors: mark your calendars, because Arbor Day is all about those green skyscrapers we call trees! This tree-mendous holiday, established in 1872, encourages folks to go out and plant or donate trees, adding more shade, beauty, and oxygen-producing glory to our world – and you don't even need a yard to join the fun. Arbor Day, typically celebrated on the last Friday in April in New York, welcomes tree plantings within pots and containers, or saplings donated to be planted elsewhere. So, branch out and let's make Arbor Day the tree-lebration it deserves to be!
Source => dec.ny.gov